Uranium Mining Ban

August 29, 2013 - By Terry Brooks

A company that unsuccessfully pushed to end Virginia’s decades-old ban on uranium mining was by far the biggest spender on lobbying at the statehouse over the past year. New lobbyist disclosure reports show Virginia Uranium Inc. spent more than $572,000, almost twice as much as the nearly $300,000 spent by second-place Dominion. Altria was third at nearly $274,000, while the more than $251,000 spent by the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance reflected activity on the state’s first major highway funding overhaul since 1986. Exact comparisons are difficult because of differences in the way organizations report lobbyist compensation, but the reports clearly put uranium mining at the top. The figures are based on reports filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth and compiled by the independent, nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project.